Petite Recette du Bonheur
by yu-pon
Summary: A queer tale cooked up for this festive season; talks about the adventures of a talented pâtisserie and his newly-hired energetic waitress. Hope you will enjoy this fic.
1. This Combination, Filled with Futilities

**Petite Recette du Bonheur  
A Tiny Recipe of Happiness**

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**Greetings!  
**Thank you for stumbling onto this tiny story~ho ho ho  
to start off with, I don't know French (at all); so I suppose if there's anything wrong with the title - please forgive me!

I think this fic is a quirky and a rather queer tale. So, it's not the usual fic one should expect (I suppose?) -- I attempted to bring in the pairing, though I'm quite aware I'm not exactly good with romance haha. I don't know how well one can handle this fic but...hopefully, hopefully!!! someone will enjoy this fic!

Disclaimers: I do not own Bleach and their characters (definitely); they are all masterpieces from Kubo-sensei~

Oh! and** ...Merry Christmas~**

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**Prologue****  
このコンビ、不可能だらけだ。 This Combination; Filled with Futilities.**

The street I once roamed had no such thing as a blue sky due to frequent fogs – brought about by the invention of steam engines. The people were often dressed in darker colors and had really intricately-designed large hats. They wore lavishly and donned gems and spoke softly to one another. A passer-by like me loved observing these people. I often call them the "Empty Ones" - for they tried to satisfy their quest for happiness by burying their emptiness with luxuries.

There was a particular shop the Empty Ones grew jealous of – it was tiny and dilapidated amongst the brightly colored shops; but it had the longest queue. The Empty Ones shunned that place for they perceive such run-down exteriors would ruin their so-called upper-class image. It was the lesser and the poorer townsfolk that loved that store – and I happened to be one of them.

For as long as I remember, one would be greeted by a short period of audible clanging brass upon the entrance of the shop; there would be whiff of sweet smelling flora and a voice that said "Welcome.". It was a place entirely different from the world outside. No one seemed bothered about what I was; no one shunned and hurled stones at the sight of me.

"What would you like to have?" The owner said.

I looked up, the owner's face was vague and blurry; but I was certain about one thing.

_A stunning blue sky hovered above within that shop._

That was the only piece of memory I had when I was reborn into this world.

***

The kitchen was filled with the scent of lavender; the saucepan bubbling in deep purplish liquid. There was a young man, in his twenties, bending over in front of the black oven. He looked puzzled and definitely was frowning; for the cakes were taking a longer time than usual – accuracy and precision were important keys to baking the perfect cake. He then went back to the saucepan and poured in sugar with the nearby tablespoon. A slight nod was all he gave before he turned the stove off. At last, the scent of butter crept in slowly from behind; the fusion of aroma was making one too excited about what was awaiting in the oven – yet there was not even a slight change in that frown. Meticulously, the young man took out the silver tray and left the cake to cool; and poured the mixture into a bowl of vanilla cream. The color of the bowl was now a faint purple, with more hints of white; yet the floral scent was more significant with the combination of vanilla. The chiffon cake was now covered in lavender-scented cream; blueberries were piled up in the middle of the cake in a random artistic manner. The man scrutinized his masterpiece one more time before sprinkling a layer of white sugar over the berries as the final finish. He then moved back to the sink, washed and dried his palette knife; and took out a plastic container from the cabinet above his head – very much like he was programmed to perform each and every detail with utmost caution.

The palette knife served one slice of the light purplish floral cake into the blue container; a yellow plastic fork was then strapped to the lid of the container with a checkered ribbon knot. The remaining slices of the lavender cake was placed in the refrigerator as the young man removed his apron and reached out for his brown down jacket. After ensuring that the front door was securely locked, he glanced over at the employment notice he stuck up by the side of the door for months. No one seemed to be interested in working in this place, even with the free rental he has offered for the new employee. The man let out a sigh and left for the nearby marketplace on his bicycle.

Purchasing fresh ingredients were also part of making delectable cakes. It did not matter to him that almost everything he had been doing seemed extremely monotonous and routine – in fact, he detested drastic changes for it would take him very long before getting used to them. Lunch was also routine – the dark wooden bench under the huge tree. As the huge bag of ingredients sat promptly inside the metal basket on the bicycle, the man moved over and sat on his usual spot. He paused and frowned to himself – something was different today.

Someone was sitting at the other end of the bench.

He did not bother how that person looked like, he just wanted that person to leave.

"Excuse me...but..."was all he could managed to say, for the person at the other side jumped up from the bench and snapped in.

"What's that?" That person pointed at the red container he was holding onto. It was a lady, slightly younger than him. The significant part would be her bright waist-length orange hair. She even had weird floral blue hair clips above each ear; followed by a pair of gray ear muffs, pushing her long hair backwards.

The man tilted his head slightly to his left, puzzled as to why things are going way different than they should have been. He looked down at the red container, his fingers clutched it tighter as he heard the end of her sentence.

"That red container. Yes, what is that inside it?" The curious lady repeated her question once more, her nose sniffed the surrounding air twice.

"It's..." The cake he just baked – there was no name to it. What was the correct terminology he should use to introduce to this lady over here? He usually baked cakes for his own, and no one in this town bothered. It was certainly strange that someone showed that much interest in the object hiding under the lid of the red container. He ran out of words, so he decided to show the lady by lifting the white lid. Whiffs of faint floral scent encircled the two of them, amongst the occasional chilly winds.

"Uwaaa!!! This! Is this lavender cream?" The lady pulled out the fork on the lid and plunged it into the slice before the man could react. She then placed her fork into her mouth and her eyes brightened up.

"It's really really really out of the world!!!" She smiled.

This was the first time he had seen someone reacted this huge upon tasting his cake. It did feel awkward, like a silent static current passing horizontally across the shoulders. _Out..of the world? Did she mean that it tasted bad?_ He thought quietly to himself, without realizing the fact that the stranger was finishing up his lunch.

_The fork. My lunch._

He could only sit by the side and observe as his lunch diminished greatly in size; it was not his nature to fight back, nor did he see the point to doing that. His fork was moving in a faster pace than usual – surely it must have felt uneasy too.

"Thank you for the cake!" The lady clapped both her hands as she lowered the fork into the empty container. She then returned the squarish box to the owner with both hands, and wheeled her luggage over.

"Are you hiring anyone?" She asked the speechless man, with her eyes round, filled with curiosity. She noticed the bag of ingredients sitting upright in the basket and figured that the man must be working in a famous bakery.

"I'm..." He was never too quick to reply those questions; he was now not sure of the exact response to reply to this woman, decided to ignore whatever she said and leave this area. _She must be some kind of a lunatic, _he whispered softly in his head. Moreover, he had to go back for lunch, now that his routine had been entirely changed. He walked briskly to his bicycle and rode off, without saying a word.

"Wait up! Hey! I haven't finished talking!" The lady chased after the sprinting bicycle as it flew down the rocky slope. She waved hardly, hoping that the man would at least stop and look back, but he never did.

"What a weird person," The peculiar lady pushed her hair backwards and sniffed the air.

***

Peace returned when the young man ate his slice of cake. The flavoring was apt; the dosage of lavender was not too bitter, nor was it too sweet. The chiffon cake was perfect for he did not like a lot of cream sticking out in between the layers; the blueberries complimented with the sweetness of vanilla just fine. Just as he was enjoying his moment of silence, that lady's voice could be heard at the doorstep.

"Excuse me~" She raised her voice a little, with much energy.

_It's that crazy woman again._  
He could identify her voice even when he was not looking at the door hole.

"I'm interviewing for the job!" She tore off the notice and waved at the window.

_Oh no._ He sank his head and ruffled the back of his hair; having just recalled about the notice he had stuck up outside for months. Even when he glances at that faded piece of paper everyday, he does not seem to remember the 'employee benefits' he has thought up of to entice people to sign up for the job.

_I should have chosen to ignore her once more_.  
Instead, he opened the door and peered down at the woman.

"I'm not hiring anymore," he finally could complete his sentence but his talking partner was not in the mood for such rejection.

"Ah! It's you!" All the lady could hear was her loud exclamation. She was pointing excitedly at that man – the weird character back at the park was finally found.

"I am... " He tried to repeat what he had intended to say. This time he was not fast enough.

"I can smell it! It's that cake!" She attempted to run up the stairs, but was blocked by the man.

_Is she even listening?  
Are we even speaking in the same language?_

The man was finding himself asking questions that he could not even understand; it seemed like both parties were totally engrossed in their own worlds.

"It's lavender and vanilla beans! There's blueberries too right? Ah, the chiffon could have a little more butter, is there something wrong with the oven? " She was sniffing around and stopped when her nose bumped into the man's arm.

"And er... I prefer it when there's vanilla cream in between, it's yummier that way!" She completed her sentence and rubbed her nose with her fingers.

_How...did she know all that?_

_She could even point out the flaw inside the chiffon cake caused by the slight error in the oven._

"You..." The man responded this time. He himself wanted to know more about this girl; someone who could speak in similar languages like he had been totally accustomed to.

"Yes?"

"You can try out this evening," The man was praying that he did not make the wrong choice in hiring the young lady as his new assistant.

"Really?"

"I suppose so,"

_Or she wouldn't give up, would she?_

That evening, the shop was filled with customers as usual. This time, the queue moved at a faster rate, thanks to the new energetic young helper. The restaurant that was used to providing self-service to its customers now had a beautiful waitress. She was highly efficient; she could remember the dishes and pastries and even affixed interesting labels to them. All that young man had to do was to serve each order by the window and the lady would deliver to each table promptly. It was definitely a busy night, but somehow it was slightly less lethargic with the new helper around.

"Dinner," The man whipped up the remaining ingredients and presented it to the lady.

"Wow this looks yummy! Shall we serve them tomorrow?"

_We?_  
The man paused at her question.  
It had been too long since he had worked with someone.  
In fact, he could not even recall the last time he hired someone.

He went back to the kitchen, without replying and served the slices of the lavender cake quietly.

"That cake!" The lady clapped happily as her plate was filled with a larger slice this time. She smiled every time she placed the cake-loaded fork into her mouth.

_Why is she smiling like this when she said it tasted bad?_  
The man sat in front of the orange-haired lady and observed her every move as she finished her dinner. Every single movement she made somehow could not escape from his eye; it must have been the fact that he had not hired a new waitress for a long time.

"That's it for today," He cleared the dishes and placed them by the dish rack.

"Okay! Otsukaresama deshita~" She took a bow and removed her apron before hanging them on the hook at the back of the kitchen door.

"Aren't you..." The man now knew, that whenever he had difficulties completing his sentences, she would be saying something that's _out of the world._

He understood the meaning of those words, in a hard way.

"Let's go home!" The lady pulled out the employment notice and pointed to the final line.

"Lodging provided, right?"

There was no reason to fire such a capable assistant. Yet, it seemed to this man that there was a lot of getting used to, now that the supposed routine had almost entirely vanished.

"By the way, sir. What's your name?"

"I'm..."_  
I guess I am never going to finish my sentence._

"I'm Inoue Orihime. Please take care of me from today onwards! I'll promise to bring business to your restaurant!"

The man let out a weary sigh,  
"Ulquiorra Schiffer,"

_This combination, is never going to work out._  
He thought to himself silently, while pulling the luggage down the streets; the lady dancing daintily with her light footwork behind.

All of a sudden, the lady hummed a familiar old tune._  
This song existed in the world for more than a hundred years.  
How in the world would she know of this song?_

"This is..."

"Ah, I just happen to know this song. I don't know how, but it seemed to me like I knew it before I was born. Amazing, right? "

_I was at a loss of words again._

_That tune brought back many memories._

_Back then, the shop was only known to regular customers – everyone knew that there was no menu in the restaurant and they were comfortable with letting the owner decide the dishes for them. _

_Then came a day, when the shop was greeted with a new face._

_A little one stepped in with uncertainty in its grey irises.  
She was frightened and afraid so she hid under the waiting bench for a while before coming out._

_I asked her a question I never did before with the other customers.  
I remembered her eyes._

She resembled that orange cat, a hundred and thirty years ago.

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**yu-pon's note:**

Merry Christmas! It's Christmas in my area though.  
This was meant to be a one-shot, but I could not finish writing. T__To  
And it wasn't supposed to be like this!  
(in fact it wasn't supposed to be a new fic! haha)

The italics are all Ulquiorra, as far as I can remember =))

Anyway thank you for reading till the last line!!  
And if you left a review, double brownie points!!  
I just attempted something new, that's all.  
Alternate future fic, i guess?

In fact, I was a bit uncertain when I posted up this fic.  
Ulquiorra is just a very very old man (?), meeting a very very young girl.  
Anyway, this is a holiday season fic!

let's see what to expect for the next chapter!  
Hopefully, if it gets popular enough...well we'll never know!

see you in the actual chapter!  
yu-pon でしたぁ～


	2. This Day, Nothing Like Routine

**Petite Recette du Bonheur  
A Tiny Recipe of Happiness**

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**One  
この日、非日常 This Day, Nothing Like Routine.**

When I was still a child, probably the time when one was still rather fascinated over colorful helium balloons, the people around me all believed in the existence of magical things. We believed in this old man who was capable of granting any wish in the world under one simple condition – that person must wish for it with all his heart. For we never saw the real person, we naturally grew curious about such a person.

"Did you know?" the older kids would gather the younger ones and make us all sit in one circle. They would look at us with those huge eyes as they tell us amazing stories about the old man; that he was round and bubbly and had a hearty laugh. His customized mode of transport included this sleigh of reindeers capable of flying across the night skies at ease; and that he would sprinkle the areas he passed by with snowflakes.

Who knows, I might have once fallen in love with this phantom-like old man!

"Sora-nii!! I want to see him!" I told my elder brother that right after the story-sharing session.

"Orihime, who knows, you might really see him one day!" He smiled gently back at me. I could even hear him chuckling after that. He would ruffle my hair and hold my hand as we make our way to the kitchen.

If it snowed, it would only mean he was around the corner.  
Let it snow then, so that I can run out with this muffler and that red pair of boots.  
I would search for him and eventually,  
Someday, we would meet.

Even up to this day, I still believed in that.

***

The road home seemed like a queasy journey filled with bumps for the young pale skinned man. It used to be a ten-minute walk from the restaurant he was too familiar with; but now the lights illuminating off the lamp posts seemed to be swirling slowly – quite similar to the curves on a slice of marble cake. _It must be the doings of a traveling magician,_ he concluded that the real culprit was somewhere within the proximity. For as long as he lived, he only believed in whatever his eyes showed him – whatever that his eyes were not exposed to _does not exist. _One could remark that it may be a straightforwardly simple way to survive in a awfully complicated world; but it also meant that he was very much like an ignorant child at times.

The raven-colored hair man was now a little frustrated with the unsteadiness; he blinked a couple of times only to notice that the nearby buildings were now moving in a rather wobbly manner. _What is going on? What is this constant repetitive noise I hear?_ It sure took the man long enough to realize that the actual culprit was just next to him – the constant chattering of a rather excited child. Not only was he feeling dizzy due to this perky character, he was now reflecting upon his totally unexpected actions earlier this afternoon_._

_I must have been feeling unwell._  
He walked a little brisker and stopped beside a drain cover._  
Strange. I've never fallen sick before._  
It wasn't the flu bug, he figured out there was nothing wrong with his health.

"Ul..Ulquiorra...san?" A concerned voice peeked in from the side.  
It was at this very moment, the motionless man was caught off guard.

_This woman.  
My bench. My fork. My lunch._  
The man reacted to the sound source with a slight twitch in his lips. It was the same voice he had heard throughout the day.

_A thief._  
That was what he remarked after recalling his eventful day.  
She was like a thief, robbing him of a what was supposed to be a tranquil and routine weekday.

"Excuse me, woman," Ulquiorra articulated slowly, with the pace of an old man but his voice youthful.

"Hmm?" That girl looked back at him with her large irises, her lips slightly arched up at the side. She had moved to the other side of the drain cover, just a shoulder's length from the next lamp post – before one could even realise, she was standing in front of the seemingly twenty-year old man.

_She's doing it again – she is attempting a hypnotic spell on me.  
It won't work._

"Where..." Ulquiorra feared that while his brain was not quick enough to complete the question, it would be interrupted by a comment that would mess up his life.

"Where...?" This time, his listening partner was a little more patient.

"Where do you stay?" He tried to feign ignorance; hoping that he was speaking to a child with short-term memory; hoping that the details on the employment notice have by now faded away.

"Ah...about that...," Her response trailed off at the end.

It was somewhat a desired reply for a man like Ulquiorra Schiffer. He thought she was about to reveal an address he's never heard of – that he would provide her with enough money for her to get home, for good.

_Or so I thought would happen._

"Of course, it's your house! It's on the employment notice! Eheh~"  
She did not forget at all.

_...I should be better off remaining silent._

_Wait a minute...  
She mentioned the employment notice.  
I did not exactly hire her, did I?_

Ulquiorra placed his right hand into the pocket and reached out for the silver keys. He took a glance at the apartment in front of him; white walls and a layered roof made up of grey colored tiles. When he was first shown this particular place, he liked the black colored metallic stairways and his front door – for it was labeled the fourth apartment on the first floor. There was no particular reason why he preferred the number four over the rest; it just seemed to him like _he had been engineered somewhere to show prejudice towards this number._

"Woman," He broke the silence as he inserted the key into the door.

"Yes?"

"I do not remember hiring you," Ulquiorra said those words out bluntly.

"Eh? B...but you allowed me to work for you! Isn't that hiring me?"

"That... is considered as well?"

When it came to employment issues, Ulquiorra was just as clueless for he had never _seen_ anyone getting hired before. When he had posted up that notice a few months ago, he had only wanted an assistant-like person to help take the dishes out from the kitchen. Today was definitely the first interview he has ever conducted in his life.

_So it was my fallacy that she gets to stay at..._

"Eheh~ of... of course! " She pulled off the glove on her hand and touched Ulquiorra's fingers.

_My apartment?  
We are living...together?_

It definitely took Ulquiorra too long to realize that.

"Ojyamashimasuuu~~" They pushed down the door handle together; along with Orihime's bright and chirpy voice.

_The door opened, with her breath and that slight chuckle closely beside me._

The apartment was very much like the man in terms of interior design and furniture selection – mostly four-sided, sleek and most importantly, prim and proper. Everything appeared to belong where they were supposed to be positioned; there was hardly a speck of dust around. A kitchen by the side; surrounded by sparkling clean walls. In the middle of the living room, there was a black classic piano - a seemingly peculiar addition for a man who runs a restaurant.

"Wow," the girl fell silent for a while, her eyes were filled with awe.

"Do not...," Ulquiorra was very aware of his reflexes when it comes to talking – he was definitely much slower than the chatty teenager beside him. He pointed his finger at the piano, his room and his kitchen.

"Touch?" Orihime was like guessing what he tried to mean.

"and Enter,"

"That one is empty, you can have it," The man pointed wearily at the last room of the corridor.

"Eh?" Orihime wheeled her luggage as she walked towards the room. It was exactly like how the owner had put it – barren. There was no furniture or decoration in the last room, as if it had been cleared for the sole reason of the new employee.

"Ul...quiorra-san? There's...nothing here, "

_That room was left empty because I had no idea who would be moving in._  
Ulquiorra frowned at the end of the sentence. It seemed to him like a new problem was coming up any time soon. _Soon enough, she will be asking me to get her furniture, so on and so forth._

"Ah!" Orihime turned around and scanned the living room. There was a white couch under the window.

"I can sleep here for the time being. Is it okay that I use this couch first? "

"You can use it," The owner closed his eyes, letting out a sigh as he went back to his own room.

"Oyasumi!"

Ulquiorra shut the door without a word. His back was leaning against the wooden surface for a while before he took a glance at the bed. The pale fingers on his right arm moved up to his jaw before creeping up to his cheek, where he felt the drain. It was then he found time to indulge himself in looking back at what had previously happened. He had not spoken so much in years that his cheeks hurt after all the dialogue-churning with his new roommate.

_I used to dread the sleeping part.  
I felt like I was convincing myself to believe that I was perfectly normal.  
I would lie on the bed, my eyes staring at the ceiling and the sun would rise.  
I always thought that meant 'sleeping'_

Ulquiorra sat down, his legs outstretched in a parallel manner on the parquet flooring. He could hear the little girl singing that old tune outside. As the melody flowed through the door, Ulquiorra placed his head beside the white wall and closed his eyes._  
I could not remember how I did that, but I actually laid motionless for five hours at that spot._

_Wh...Where am I?_ The raven-haired man regained consciousness after a few hours. He looked around as the surroundings felt unfamiliar – his eyes were not watching the plain ceiling, like how he used to do. They were looking at his bed and the black rug. _No more routine, huh,_ he thought to himself. Ever since the arrival of the orange-haired energetic young stranger, everything that he was accustomed to has been pretty much messed up. He stretched his spine before he opened the door as quietly as he could – he heard the periodic snoring of his new roommate on the white couch. That was _not important._ He glanced at the window above her cuddled-up body –_ it was a quarter to six in the morning_.

It wasn't the _routine_ thing to set a goal for himself but Ulquiorra had made his mind up – he wanted things to stay the way they are, as little change as possible. That was of utmost importance now. He took a step forward, only to hear the girl murmuring softly.

"Will it snow?"

_I'm not a weather forecast, woman._  
Ignoring her out-of-the-blue question, Ulquiorra headed into the bathroom and faced the mirror for ten minutes – the green irises were still reflecting a sense of gloom. _Perfectly normal_, he nodded silently and reached out for his toothbrush. As he brushed, he scanned the rest of the bathroom – the toilet bowl, the basin, the bathtub and even the shower curtains. He then returned to where he had been standing, there was someone standing right at the door, rubbing her half-awoken eyes. Ulquiorra gripped the toothbrush and remarked to himself,_ "With that, the bathroom never looked the same again."_

"Good Morning..." Orihime yawned as she dragged her slippers into the bathroom. There was no response from the man who was still staring at her bunny-printed bright blue pajamas. She pulled out her pink toothbrush from her pocket and rinsed it under the tap. She splashed her face with water and grinned cheekily for a double-check. The owner of the house walked over, his eyes were now looking at the multiple puddles of water all over the basin.

"Ah! I have to wipe them dry!" She was getting more skilled at guessing by now. Ulquiorra nodded silently and walked out of the bathroom, with the toothbrush still hanging in his mouth.

"Your ...," Orihime was too late – _he never caught that_.

Ulquiorra thought that if he had avoided her at all costs, he would still be able to find some bits of his old lifestyle. He affirmed that the chances of that happening was close to zero – he noticed the stick-like object protruding out of his shadow casted on the wall. He pulled out his toothbrush, his mouth still partially filled with toothpaste and went back to the bathroom.

Orihime was holding onto a glass mug filled with water.  
"You will need this, haha," She held her laughter as the man spat out the remaining toothpaste into the basin. He held the mug and gargled quietly, albeit a little reluctance. Orihime followed closely behind after Ulquiorra wiped the basin dry.

"Ano," Orihime attempted to start a conversation topic but was interrupted by a weird noise.

_Did her stomach just growl?_  
Curious, Ulquiorra turned around and faced the embarrassed child.

"I'm a little hungry. Are you?" She looked up, and then shifted her eyes to the refrigerator. Her hands trembled a little as she pushed her hair behind her ears.

"No," he replied coldly.

_Her stomach growled again._  
He knew he would eventually give in. Even if he wasn't cooking anything for her, he would be experimenting on the menu to serve in the nameless restaurant later at night.

"Sit down," Ulquiorra pointed at the counter located right outside the kitchen. He was definitely most unwilling to whip up breakfast for a stranger; but his analytical mind thought otherwise. He pictured a hungry baby bird chirping away for worms; this woman by the name of Orihime might actually stay silent if she was properly fed. _Perhaps she was really hungry,_ Ulquiorra thought of a possible reason why the lady kept chatting.

It was like watching a self-automated factory whir itself to life; the expressionless young man puts on his white apron that was folded neatly inside one of the drawers. Fastening the knots at the back, Ulquiorra took a peek at what was inside his refrigerator and took out the necessary ingredients he needed – eggs,

fish, mushrooms, spinach, radish and udon noodles. He placed them over a piece of dry cloth and took out two saucepans, followed by a claypot from the overhead cabinet. One was used to boil the radishes, while the other cooked noodlefish. He observed that the girl was raising her right hand when he faced the counter.

"What are you making?" Orihime asked. Ulquiorra looked away, pretending she was not existent. He proceeded to scoop out the noodlefish with a sieve and transferred them into a dry bowl. The water was still boiling – he heated up the chilled white noodles with it. The other saucepan seemed ready by now; he poured in a mixture of mirin, soy sauce, kelp stock and water into the radish soup and stirred with a wooden spoon. Before he tasted the seasoned soup, there was an amazed gasp coming from behind.

"Smells nice! What's that?" Orihime was dying to know what he was cooking. She kept tiptoeing from where she was, but all she got was his back view. She was fascinated in the way he prepared everything – he moved in such a relaxed manner that one wondered if he was actually taking note of the time. Yet he performed every single task seriously, with the exact timing of each procedure. There was no need for him to fluster, nor were there any hints of hesitation - he was like an alchemist putting together silently the ingredients to concoct a dish, with an element of surprise.

_Remember those birds you see on the treetops?  
You always paid attention to how they were fed.  
It's the same.  
She's just hungry, Ulquiorra._

The constant reminders in his head did not hinder the outcome of the dish. He turned the knob of the stove anti-clockwise, pulled out a drawer where he retrieved a string of cork strips that resembled a xylophone – he called it a "cork ladder" and placed right in front of the _chirping little orange bird._ He knew that it would not hurt at all if he had lifted the pot with his bare hands; but there was a likelihood that it might scare her away. He didn't like to reveal that he was not normal, anyway.

Orihime knew she was not allowed to enter the kitchen but she wanted to slurp the dish down ever since the light fragrance filled her keen sense of smell. When the pot sat nicely on top of the cork ladder, she saw egg whites, cooked and beautifully swirled on the surface of the noodle soup. The chef was not smiling, in fact he always had that melancholy look with him – as if the dish that he created was some hidden disaster.

"Is this for me? Really?" Orihime took a peep at Ulquiorra, who seemed like he did not want to speak to her. He reacted to the question by pushing the claypot closer to her.

"Thank you!!! Itadaki---...." Orihime was interrupted by the chopsticks in his hand – she had forgotten all about the utensils part. He then covered the claypot with the lid.

"Ta...tamago Toji, " Ulquiorra wanted her to at least know the name of this dish. It was a pretty traditional Japanese dish with modified elements. He knew the winter was cold; that this dish might stop the girl from shivering like she did when she waited for her breakfast.

"You... gave it that name?" Orihime tilted her head slightly. She was surprised that the dish actually had a name, unlike the dishes served back at the restaurant. She could remember that a lot of tomatoes were used – soups, risottos and pizzas. She loved the dessert most, it was pudding served in a real tomato. The restaurant never fails to amaze her in every single way.

"No. Someone else did," Ulquiorra shrugged and handed the wooden chopsticks over to Orihime.

"It has a very fitting name," She commented as she took another look at the dish.

"Ah~It's true! It gives people a very warm and fuzzy feeling," Orihime smiled as she slurped the noodles.

Even when he said nothing, Ulquiorra agreed with what the woman had said – the name complemented with his intentions of making her this dish. He sat down, just right across of the _orange-feathered bird_, doing his usual thing – observing. She ate quietly, and grinned at him from time to time – she knew it would be better to stay quiet for he frowned more whenever she started chatting. It was obvious that she didn't like the mushrooms as much as the spinach, which was why she finished them first. She probably favoured the fish most for she made sure she had enough to go with the noodles before the last strand. It was finally peaceful for Ulquiorra. He hoped that the bird in front of him would too, learn to appreciate it.

"Ulquiorra-san?" Orihime's voice was back after a 30 minute hiatus, this time it sounded refreshed and lively. She was barred from the kitchen and had to raise her voice a little as she watched Ulquiorra wash the dishes. The sound coming out from the running tap would always be accompanied by the soft but firm scrubbing of the crockeries. The alchemist would line the clean bowls and pots neatly on the metal rack for them to dry completely. There was not a drop of water left in the kitchen by the time he walked over to wipe the counter.

Ulquiorra looked up, with a slight grumpy twitch on his lips._  
Why is she still chirping?_

"I hope it snows tonight!"

_Snow?!_ Ulquiorra's eyes grew a little larger. It was too early for snow. The weather may seem chilly, but it rarely snowed in this town. For someone who spent decades in this place, he was almost certain that the answer was negative.

"Why?" Even so, Ulquiorra wanted to find out why she was so eager about today's weather.

"That way, the old man will pay a visit to this town and I can grant a wish!"

"The old man?" Ulquiorra's eyes moved up slowly, his memory bank started to run image searches – there was not a single living old man that matched her description – round and bubbly and granted wishes if one really deserved it.

"That's right! But this time, it'll be different!" Orihime nodded and beamed like a child.

"Different?" Ulquiorra bent over and stared into her eyes with a deadpan look.

"U...un. Diff...," Orihime froze at the spot, not knowing what she should do. She could not even finish what she wanted to say. The man just got a few centimetres closer; her lips would accidentally brush past his if she decided to turn around abruptly and run away. His right fingers held her chin up, his head tilted to the left, his eyes seemed like he wanted to say something. Orihime trembled slightly as he stared intently at her lips.

"Mushroom," He breathed out the singular word and picked up the food bit left hanging at the side of her lip.

"Different," The startled expression on her face was unable to disappear as she finished the reply. The man was nowhere to be seen, he happened to be back at the basin dropping the microscopic bit of mushroom slice into the garbage bag. Orihime was still unable to snap out of what had happened earlier – it was the first time she had seen his features up close. His sharp chin and nose gave him a very distinct side profile. There was his long eyelashes and the fair skin. It was flawlessly smooth, as if there was a layer of powder on his face. His skin was beyond the terminology of "fair", it was like a shade below white. It was unlike those guys on the streets whose skin tone varied across the necks and the arms, this guy had a uniformed skin color on his face, neck and arms.

_I could only blame the color of his skin.  
It was making his eyes stand out too much.  
Was it black? Like an onyx?  
No. It appeared to be from a distance.  
Under the filtered sunlight, the corner of his iris reflected a deep emerald.  
Stare at it further and they will yank you into his world of endless darkness.  
They had no emotions; they were extremely fearful...  
Yet, like gemstones, so irresistible to gaze at. _

It was the first time Orihime had seen someone with such a beautiful eye color. She had seen light green, blue, brown and gray. She was able to tell the difference between colored contact lenses and natural eye color. This time, she was certain that his eyes were a natural color. It was a special shade, and for some reason, she felt happy about knowing something unique that belonged to him.

Ulquiorra took a peek at the young lady as he threw his apron into the laundry basket – she was smiling without a particular reason. He was wondering if he had to close the restaurant today, for a few reasons, which mainly involved the new bubbly employee. It was then he recalled this particular video he watched a couple of years ago. The owner in the video would buy furniture and give the new employee a welcome party. _Was that supposed to be necessary?_ He questioned himself as he closed the lid of the basket. He had always detested having to perform something that did not interest him – purchasing furniture seemed like one of them.

"I'm going out," Ulquiorra walked out of the kitchen. He was not going to ask her out, even if he had the intention to. The routine thing to do would be to open the restaurant, he decided this upon himself.

"Can I follow today?" Orihime asked bashfully, her right hand touching the back of her hair.

"No," The rejection came in bluntly.

"But...but it hurts a little sleeping at the couch...and I want to look for new furniture, and...and...," She pointed her fingers at one another, her eyes looking diagonally at the floor.

_That word, Ulquiorra.  
Routine._

Ulquiorra closed his eyes and exhaled slowly.  
"Bring your jacket," he walked towards the corridor and put on his boots.

"Okay!" Orihime trotted back to her luggage.

_That word, Ulquiorra.  
It's not possible anymore._

_

* * *

_**yu-pon's note:  
**

Happy 2010! Gross. it's already the 20th. XDDD  
I can't believe I wrote so much for this chapter, that I had to shift the later part to another chapter.  
If you actually read the next chapter, it's part of what I had initially wanted to submit for the winter festival  
(the initial draft was too sad for a holiday fic haha so I dropped the idea)  
Which means, Chapter 2 is possible, if I have the time to complete.  
and you catch a glimpse of what I wanted to submit!

Thank you so much for the reviews!!!  
I'm glad someone read it actually!  
Because someone did, I feel nervous posting this chapter.  
Thank you for liking it too! ^_^o  
Like I always say, Chapter 2 (and onwards) is always possible because of you guys~vv

I know the characters are a little off here ---  
Shall flip back to the manga more *ganbaruu*  
I'll work on it. Not very good with Orihime since like...forever. XDD

Ah the dish that Ulquiorra whipped ~ haha omg it sounds funny.  
it's translated as Eggdrop Soup, checked it online!!  
really yummy~ haha so I had him cook it for *coughs* Orihime.

I forgot what I had to say... but if it's regarding translation I'll consolidate this and the next chapter's and write them down! It's 4.30 am (argh my inspiration only knocks at this hour) already.

Hope you enjoyed it!

See you in the next chapter,  
yu-pon でしたぁ～


	3. This Santa is, Extremely Thin

**Petite Recette du Bonheur  
A Tiny Recipe of Happiness**

* * *

**Two  
****このサンタ、激細いだ。****This Santa is, Extremely Thin.**

There were two souls on the rooftop that night.  
It was extremely freezing; every breath we exhaled turned into white smoke.

Just then, I heard a loud deliberate sigh. I turned towards my left and saw the young man sitting on the ends of my long red scarf. He looked at me as if he was not going to accept my beliefs and pointed to the empty sky.

"It won't happen today," He said it in a manner as if he was a clairvoyant and seized the current opportunity to leave the rooftop.

"But it's so cold! It'll definitely happen!" I protested like a child and prevented him from leaving. The tip of my nose had gone red due to the cold; it kind of reminded me of the reindeer that stood out from the rest. I rubbed my nose and smiled to myself. I was contented waiting for something that had a low possibility of happening.

"Whatever," He never said a word after that, he just gazed and allowed his mind to drift off along with the chilly winds.

Later it was said that Santa stashed away all the snow, and kept them in his kitchen.

It was a much-cherished morning of long-awaited peace and tranquility for the skinny pale-skinned man. His thick brown trench coat pretty much sheltered his frail body from the cold but he didn't seemed to be bothered by it – he knew he wouldn't even be affected by the strong winds even if he were to bare all of his skin – the winter wear was just an act to look normal.

If he had a much cheerful personality, he would have been seen prancing like a gazelle down the granite slabs – but that wasn't the case for him. While there wasn't a slight smile on his gloomy expression, he knew that his mood had taken on a positive side because he wasn't as drained out as yesterday. His face wasn't showing any change in expressions, but one could notice that the eyebrows were not knitted together, and that he seemed more relaxed today. This was all thanks to his devious plan to shake himself off the noisy pesky _bird_ – he told her to select her own furniture with an envelope of money stashed in her pockets. That way, the girl would be able to find something of her own preference and given a fixed budget, she would not overspend. He would not have to follow her around as she makes her purchase decisions. The most important of it all, _she would leave him alone until night falls._

_I began to hum the same old melody that lingered in my head._

For a brief moment, the young man recalled the events that happened in the morning. In his head, he couldn't remember the words he said, nor the actions he did. He began to wonder if his memory was diminishing. Instead, the girl's large round eyes and her cherry lips were etched in his mind as if that was the only thing that occurred a few hours ago. He gradually traced back to the dish he prepared for her, and the comments she made. _The girl seemed to quiet down her incessant ramblings after being fed with food. _He concluded that perhaps if he had placed greater effort in preparing his dishes, the girl might stay silent for longer periods – he would not have to waste too much energy responding to her.

It was as if the youthful-looking man had cracked an unsolvable code, he gave his own right shoulder a silent pat before he made his turn at a cross-junction. The streets were filled with people on their bicycles travelling down to get their weekly supply of groceries. The surrounding atmosphere was sizzling with sounds from all walks of life – there were children playing tag at the park as the adults busied themselves with haggling bargains. Something didn't seem right for the man – he didn't think that the sounds he heard were annoying. While the frequency was messy due to a combination of different voices, he didn't felt the need to shut off his ears.

_There is something wrong going on with her voice._

He thought to himself, perhaps the reason lies behind the pitch of her voice.

"Okay, Ulquiorra," He said to himself as he waited for his turn at the pedestrian crossing.

_Forget about this morning._

Ulquiorra placed his hands into the pockets of his trench coat and made his way to the marketplace and stocked up on the missing ingredients for the menu for tomorrow. He had decided to close the restaurant for the day so that he could give his newly hired waitress some form of orientation to familiarize herself with the place. He bowed politely as the old lady handed over his bag of castor sugar. She poked him in the shoulder as she teased his sudden decision to hire the orange-haired waitress. Ulquiorra frowned at her, but the old lady didn't seem to be bothered by his change in body language.

"She's lovable," The old lady smiled at Ulquiorra.

"This means, you are going to have a hard time with her," She broke into a soft chuckle as she landed two solid pats on Ulquiorra's thin frame. It was not of his nature that he would retaliate her words with his own; he thanked her politely and walked off.

_I'm already having a hard time.  
_

Ulquiorra then made purchases at the corner store where they sold cleaning items. He decided to use the remaining time to fix and clean his baking oven. There was always a sense of serenity whenever he's working with the oven. He walked briskly back to his kitchen. As far as he was eager to start work on the malfunctioning oven, Ulquiorra never failed to heed pedestrian rules – it was his way of salvaging as much as his routine lifestyle as possible.

Back in the kitchen, the first thing Ulquiorra did was to pour a fraction of the castor sugar in a see-through container for easy usage. He cleaned his hands and fitted on a pair of gloves as he switched off the main power of the oven. Ulquiorra was born with an extremely slender built, it didn't require him a lot of effort to allow half of his body into the baking oven. He scanned for the _culprit_ that gave off the burnt whiff in the cakes yesterday, and found it effortlessly with the torchlight in his mouth. He yanked out the old light tubes and began scrubbing every single portion of the oven meticulously. It didn't matter to him that his face was stained with soot; he just wanted to fix the oven as soon as possible. After two hours of thorough cleaning, Ulquiorra replaced the tubes with new ones and heated up a bowl of lemon water to diffuse the fresh smell around the now-polished oven.

_It wasn't tiring at all.  
_Ulquiorra began to wonder the reason why he seemed to feel more refreshed, now that his oven was back to normal. Unlike the events that he went through with the girl, Ulquiorra felt so much at ease now when he's at his comfort zone. There was a sudden urge to bake something and he had mapped out every single procedure in his head; but Ulquiorra promised himself that the restaurant was closed for the day.

The wall clock hanging above the window overlooking the kitchen was telling Ulquiorra that the sun would set very soon. It did not bother him too much that the girl wasn't coming back – in fact he wouldn't even feel cheated if she ran away with his envelope of money now. As the second-hand made several revolutions around the hour hands, Ulquiorra found himself tossing a dime from the change he received from the old lady.

_Heads, she'll be back.  
_The dime flipped a few times before it made its descent back to Ulquiorra's palm. It was at that moment Ulquiorra realised, that he didn't really need to flip that coin.

"I'm back!" That familiar voice echoed from the window. The young man dragged his feet towards the source and realised the girl was tiptoeing and waving vigourously at the same time.

"Can you help me with all these?" She pleaded with her fingers crossed; as if she was making a prayer with her eyes wide open. Her eyes blinked rhythmically, like she was sending some kind of a mental signal to him.

"How…"

_How did you manage to get so much stuff?_

"Ah," It seemed like the girl knew what Ulquiorra wanted to say in his one-worded question.

"I bargained of course. And then I told them I was your waitress. They all nodded and began giving me stuff I didn't even order. It seems like everyone likes you a lot," She explained and unloaded some of them off the cart.

"Most of the stuff will arrive tomorrow morning. I guess I will be sleeping in the living room again. Meanwhile, can you carry these for me? Please?" She waved some of the bags high up for me to look at it.

"What…"

_What are these…they don't seem to look like furniture to me?_

"Ah, it's Christmas Eve today. I would usually wear red boots and wait for Santa until he arrives at my doorstep," She grinned at her shopping bags.

_What nonsensical stuff is she saying again?_

"There is no such thing as Santa," Ulquiorra frowned as he lifted with little effort some of her purchases with both arms. As she did not interrupt Ulquiorra in the midst of the conversation, he managed to finish saying what he wants to say.

"That's because you don't believe in it," She pouted her lips sideways.

"How about I show you that he exists?" She pointed her finger at me.

"If he doesn't appear?"

"I'll leave this place," She stared firmly into Ulquiorra's eyes as if to say that she really meant business.

_It didn't seem like a bad deal for me_.

Ulquiorra thought to himself that perhaps today was his lucky day. He got his oven fixed quicker than he had expected and now she's making a deal to leave this place.

"If Santa really appears, you'll make me breakfast the next day," She bent forward and gave Ulquiorra a smirk, before she ran off frantically back to the house.

It was Christmas Eve; there was so much for Inoue Orihime to do. She had to figure what to wear in order to keep herself warm as she had intended to camp outside like she always did when she was a child. She had always dreamt of meeting Santa so that she could ask him questions about her brother in Heaven – whether he's eating fine, whether he's still smiling and if he had any messages for her. Orihime never wanted any Christmas presents, she only wanted an assurance from Santa that her brother was doing fine. Every year, at this point of time, Orihime would dress herself in a red scarf and a pair of red boots and wait at the doorstep for the legendary bubbly old man.

This time, there was something extra for Inoue Orihime to accomplish on Christmas Eve – she had to convince her employer that the old man existed, even if she hadn't seen him before. It was impulsive of her to actually set such a huge wager on it, but she did not like the way he denied something so easily without even considering her feelings.

_Then again, why am I so worked up over this?  
__I must be really protective over Santa!  
__So you better arrive today, or I'll have to wander round the streets!_

Orihime made a tiny little prayer to herself before she wrapped the scarf round her neck. She put on her pink gloves and fitted on her newly bought red boots. She opened the door and crept stealthily towards the door – she didn't want him to notice that she was going out to wait for the man. If Santa really arrives, Orihime had initially planned to take him to the house and show her employer that everything she believed was true. She was, however, stopped by the skeptical employer when he opened his room door.

"He won't arrive, woman," Ulquiorra sighed out at how stubborn the orange-headed girl was. Orihime decided to defend Santa with all her might today – she yanked his left wrist and took him to the rooftop of the apartment.

"That case, we'll wait here until he arrives. I'm sure he'll come today," Orihime pointed to the night sky.

"Whatever. There's nothing else for me do anyway," He sat on the ledge without fearing that he might fall to his death if he lost his balance or slipped on the icy surface.

"Can I sit there too?" Orihime raised both of her hands and had Ulquiorra lifted her effortlessly up. She cuddled close to the man, who felt awkward instantaneously and distanced himself.

_It was really cold that night, but that man never shivered nor trembled.  
__He sat on the ledge in his thin long-sleeved top as if it wasn't winter.  
__His side profile looked so sharp and his eyelashes were so long like that of a girl.  
__We managed to talk a little and I told him all about the bubbly old man.  
__He wasn't interested in him at all, but he responded to every question.  
__Won't you come a bit sooner, Santa?  
__I'm running out of words._

"I win, woman," He stood up on the ledge and jumped down gracefully with his hands tucked at the pockets. Ulquiorra realised the two of them had been sitting on the ledge for three hours, waiting for snow to arrive.

"Can I leave tomorrow morning?" Orihime sulked and pleaded for a little time extension. Ulquiorra nodded and head towards the staircase. As he took the first step down, he heard her singing that old song again – this time with full lyrics. No one would know of the exact tune in this era, unless it was handed down by generations.

_The girl with the melody of the world,  
__When she plays to the blue ceiling,  
__The bells would chime and ring.  
__And her people would continue to sing  
_"_On the day where the stars would link  
__You and I would have a chance meeting!"_

There is no way anyone would know the lyrics to this song, because it was meant as a secret Ulquiorra had kept for so long inside him. There could only be one other person who knew the entire verse of the song. He didn't want the girl to go away that soon – he wanted to know how she knew every single word of the poetry.

"Woman," He turned back and stopped in front of her.

"He's not here again this year," Orihime was crying as she looked at the starry sky one last time before climbing the steps down, but her employer was blocking her way.

"He's here," He said those seemingly childish words with a serious expression. Orihime knew that Santa is a figment of imagination by the living people on Earth, after testing out the experiment for so many years. She just wanted to defied logic for a while and escape into an alternate dimension where fantasies were real.

_I was saved by his clueless yet serious words.  
__He probably never saw snow all his life.  
__And yet, he tells me child-like stuff like "Santa's here."_

Ulquiorra took Orihime to the rooftop again.  
"Wait here and close your eyes," He made sure that her eyes were close before he went back to the apartment.

_In the past, when I did this to her,  
__She would run around and catch as much as she could.  
__Would you do the same too?_

Ulquiorra took along with him a see-through container. He climbed onto the ledge and began to sprinkle the white castor sugar he bought this morning onto the little girl. Orihime opened her eyes even before he told her to, witnessing the first snowfall of the season. She beamed excitedly and laughed at how foolish-looking her employer looked as he continued to repeat his actions.

"It's snowing! It's really snowing!" She exclaimed and ran around the place, her palms outstretched; in a similar manner Ulquiorra had pictured her to be. Ulquiorra realised that he had done all of these unexpected antics to relive part of his past memories. The times he spent with that special someone, and how he stopped celebrating Christmas after her departure. He realised that by doing this to her, he had indirectly admitted defeat to her wager.

_That night, Santa really came.  
__He was thinner than I had expected to be.  
__He wasn't an old man too._

_The snowflakes that fluttered onto my head and gloves,  
__Were white, powdery and sweet._

_When I asked Santa, "Where did you keep all these snow?"  
__He replied, with a stern face, "I stashed them away in the kitchen."_

_So that's why this town never snows during Christmas._

* * *

**yu-pon's note:**

*clears dust* Boo! It's been almost one year since I last updated this chapter.  
I can imagine your face when you see the notification in your inbox - no it's not a dream. haha  
I truly truly apologise for the really long wait, especially when I lost the initial Chapter 2 (this is a entirely re-written one) to a crashed hard-disk.  
And because it's been 12 months since I started this fic, I can't remember what I had initially wanted to write about XDD

There are quite a lot of possibilities to this fic =)

Since it's the month of December, I made this chapter a Christmas one.  
Wahaha Santa Ulquiorra~~*loves*  
Hope everyone likes it. I was really surprised there were quite a lot of reviews for this.

Thank you!

See you in the next chapter,  
yu-pon でしたぁ～


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